June 10, 2025 • 73 mins
Nick Wright debates the impact of Aaron Rodgers signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers and whether or not it’s enough for them to break their playoff win drought. Then, Nick breaks down the start of the NBA Finals between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Oklahoma City Thunder and Tyrese Haliburton’s Indiana Pacers, and predicts Game 3. Later, Nick discusses LeBron’s bag, the French Open and the World Series of Poker. Finally, as always, Nick and Damonza answer your questions. #Volume
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
Welcome in episode three thirty eight, What's Right with Nick Right,
and check this out fresh from a trip to Vegas.
This couldn't have come any The timing couldn't have been better,
because while the show is more than solvent, I don't
know that I am anymore. So, you know what, we
need sponsors, and we got a brand new one. This
(00:28):
episode of What's Right is resented to you by boost
Mobile and Demonte. We have been for three years doing
What Missed the Cut off the top of the show
as a way to kind of get in some quick
hit or stuff that doesn't really deserve a full segment.
But also, I'll be honest, it's always it's been kind
(00:50):
of sponsorship bait, like that's a great segment right off
the top that someone should gobble up. How about this
no longer What Missed the Cut now known as straight
the voicemail. Guess that these people Boost Mobile, Trevor Lawrence,
the producers are such jerks. They want me to say this.
(01:12):
Trevor Lawrence stuns in new photo. I mean, listen, the
guy does look quite regal. I mean, let's be honest here,
that guy looks outstanding. Wimby embraces monk culture at the
Shaolin Temple that's actually really cool, and shaved head Wimby
is a little more intimidating. And Adam Sandler offers Derrick
(01:33):
Henry a movie role if he hits two thousand yards. Now.
This was broker by my friend Dan Patrick, which means
I am going to try to play a similar card.
I'm gonna see if there is some threshold, some something
that I can that Dan doesn't think I can do that.
(01:57):
Dan will then leverage into Okay, if you do that,
I'll get you in one of the Sandler's movies. I
think that's possible, so uh, it'd be great. Years ago,
we tried to get demands on the HBO show Showtime
as Young Byron Scott. We were not yet able to leverage.
(02:18):
We weren't able to leverage the show for that. Maybe
I can leverage my relationship with Dan Patrick for something else.
But I am back in New York. I am in
a I go through this once every few years when
I prepare and I plot and I study, and I
get all ready for a big poker trip and then
(02:41):
I have my absolute guts ripped out by I can't
even say bad luck, just poor play, over zealousness, being
too excited. Where I am now in something of a
poker detox, where I just like the I'm not gonna
I gotta take a few days away from even watching
the World series. My buddies are out there still final
(03:02):
tabling stuff. I can't even like really sweat them and
root them on. It's like the feeling one gets right
after in college drinking way too much of a certain liquor,
where like the next time you go out and you
get just a whiff of it, you feel that hungover feeling. Again.
Imagine that, except imagine if instead of having a terrible headache,
(03:25):
you know, you lost the equivalent of a I don't know,
a mid size semi luxury sedan. All right, deman s
like rate, subscribe, review, everybody check out the show on
all available platforms, and again, if for no other reason,
then you know, in some ways subscriptions funnel down eventually
(03:47):
into money in my pocket, and right now I need it.
Where are we starting, pal?
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Yeah, So, after the crazy comeback by the Pacers in
game one, Haliburton hit that crazy shot you know, okase
he came back in game two and was shown in
their showing their stripes. They look dominant. Ye, based on
what you've seen so far. How comfortable were you with
your bet that you placed at the beginning? Okay see
minus one and a half?
Speaker 1 (04:10):
Well, I mean here what I will say about that
bet to put a little pin in Vegas for now?
That bet was a luxury bet when I placed it.
It's a necessity bet now I just can't you can't
have you can't have bet of the year go awry
(04:33):
right after a five day poker bludgeting. Obviously, the bet
didn't look great after Indiana steels game one because then
for the thunder Haft to win in four, five or six,
for that bet to win and after you lose game one,
four is literally eliminated and five is potentially eliminated. However,
(04:59):
we now have had ninety six minutes of this series.
The Indiana Pacers have led for two of those minutes.
I do not think there is a single player on
the Pacers demonte who can say I like how I'm playing.
I don't think there is a single matchup in this
(05:21):
series right now that Rick Carlisle can look at and
be like bang, that's where we take advantage. So even
though it's one one I feel just as confident as
I did before the series that this is a real mismatch.
(05:43):
And again, it is no shame in it for the Pacers.
And if you disagree, we can discuss it in a second.
But it it's no shame in the Pacers that they
have finally found an opponent that is truly out of
their weight classes. This Oklahoma City team is eighty one
(06:04):
and nineteen on the year. No one has been able
to deal with Shay all year long, and Nie Smith
and Nimhard are not gonna be any different in that regard.
And you don't look at anything Oklahoma City has done
thus far and say, oh, well that's not sustainable. Oh well,
(06:27):
that guy's not gonna keep playing like that. If anything,
you look at how Jalen Williams is playing. I think
he's eleven of thirty three for the series. Uh, fact
check me on that, guys, if you would. Jalen Williams
total shooting splits in the series. But I think he's
eleven of thirty three and I think Chet has only
made one to three the entire series. If anything, you
(06:48):
look at that and you say, well, those guys should
get a little bit better, and will Shay average thirty
four a game in this series. Maybe not thirty four,
but will he average thirty Well, he has all year,
and so I just think that there is there's not
(07:13):
a lot of adjustments Indiana can make aside from try
to get hot from three and that might be worth
a game, but that I do not think is going
to be worth multiple games, and they need it to
be worth three games. And so we didn't end up
(07:36):
making the series exacta bets, which is, you know, game
one this way, Game two that way, so on and
so forth. And I'm glad we didn't because I obviously
would have gotten game one wrong. But in that I
thought we would head to Game three with the Thunder
(07:56):
up to nothing, and then they let their foot off
the gas a bit and the Pacers steal Game three,
and then the Thunder retake control in game four because
the Thunder already lost a game. I now feel like
there will be no foot off the gas in game three,
and the Thunder will be in position to retake home
(08:19):
court advantage in game three, which is what I fully
expect them to do. So before we get to Morche
and Haliburton stuff, Demonse, you I saw your kind of
you know, yeah reaction. When I was saying that, I
thought there was just there was no spot where the
Pacers had an edge or you know, nobody's playing that well,
(08:42):
so go ahead.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
Yeah, No, they are out match.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
I was just saying, like, with the first game, I
feel like they played a pretty poor game. They obviously
I think they had over twenty turnovers and they still
may have to get the win. So I was just saying,
with those stats, I feel like they should be able
to do something. But you say that there's just no
mismatches that Indiana can exploit. I understand that there is
not a single guy on there that you can just say,
go get a bucket or no. Yeah, they are outmatched,
(09:08):
but got And here's the.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
Other piece of it. They win the turnovers. Thing isn't fluky.
This is what OKAC does to people. Yeah, and they
particularly this is one of the reasons. And I thought
this was a mistake. It was mistake, might be too strong,
but I was shocked that OKC changed their starting lineup
(09:33):
before Game one, that when they had been this dominant
team all year, that they took Hartenstein out of the
starting lineup. But they did that to add another perimeter defender,
so they could just harass the pacers out on the
you know, on the perimeter, and they they caused nineteen
(09:55):
first half turnovers in Game one. Now what was fluky
about that was despite causing all those turnovers, they weren't
getting fast break points. They weren't getting as many points
off turnovers. But it's still dead possessions and there Listen.
It is incredibly difficult too. I know this is going
(10:21):
to sound almost sacrilegious to how basketball is supposed to
be played, but it is incredibly difficult. And history will
back me up on this. To win a championship, if
your best player is a true pass first point guard
(10:46):
that is not a natural scorer, if you don't either
have to go along with that person the best defense
in the league or a go to dominant big that
he can get a lot of his you know, assists to.
So when you look at the most traditional kind of
(11:09):
pass first elite point guards in NBA history and you
go and that Listen, I'm not putting Halliburton on the
historical list, but he obviously is a pass first point guard.
Chris Paul ran into this where it's like, Okay, I
I am I'm the best player on the team. Yes,
(11:31):
I can score, but this is not really where my
bread is buttered, so to speak. And then as competition
gets harder and harder, and the other teams more and
more talented, eventually I'm going to play a team that
is going to have enough talent of their own on
(11:53):
the perimeter, particularly defensively or inside defensively to slow down
the guys. I'm trying to spoon feed these buckets too.
And he never made He didn't make a finals until
he was alongside a dominant scorer and booker, and they
didn't even they you know, when they made the finals,
(12:15):
didn't win. Steve Nash he could score like Haliburton can score,
but he's a career like eighteen point a game guy.
He's a pass first wizard who never had those dominant
defenses and had a hard ceiling. Some bad luck, some injuries,
some bad suspensions. I get it, though. Of the NBA Finals,
(12:36):
Chauncey did it, and Chauncey's not the caliber of those
two previous players, but that was the best defense in basketball.
Isaiah Thomas did it. But that was the best defense
in basketball, and Isaiah had real, real high end scoring
ability that he kind of tempered on his own. I mean,
(12:58):
John Stockton had Carl Malone as the go to score.
He's a pass first guy, and those teams were championship caliber.
They just ran into the bulls. But you had stockedon,
you had Malone to go alongside alongside him, and people
will be like, well, Magic did it, and you can't
even be like, well he had Kareem because older man
(13:20):
like it the for the last couple championships that was
not the same cream. But Magic's one of the five
greatest players in the history of the league, and as
great as great as Coozy was, Like they didn't win.
It's a little unfair to Cooozy, but they didn't win
(13:41):
until they got Russell and they had the best defensive
player in the history of the sport. It's just so
hard to win four rounds if your best player can't
reliably just go get you a bucket. And it's one
of the reasons why I have always been a defender
(14:04):
of Luca, even though people don't like the heliocentric style,
because guys like like Luca and Lebron, they are at
their core past first players, but they are also dominant scorers.
And so I know I'm kind of stepping a bit
(14:27):
on the Haliburton conversation, but we'll still get to it
because there's something specific about how he's playing. But it's
just it is. If you don't have if you are,
let me rephrase it, let me kind of turn it
(14:49):
a bit. The Pacers are an offensive minded team. There
is no precedent for a team that is their identity
is their offense to be able to win four straight rounds.
If they don't have anyone on that offense that you
(15:13):
are not at all surprised. In fact, you kind of
expect them to go for thirty. And so it's a
very thin needle that's trying to be threaded here, which
is the thunder of the better defense, we have the
better offense. The thunder, by the way, also have far
and away the best offensive player in the series. It's
(15:35):
a tough spot and that's where I think the that's
the hard ceiling the Pacers have run into. I know,
you want to talk a little Lesga before we get
to the other stuff.
Speaker 2 (15:53):
Oh yeah, Bruce said, SGA is a little too mature
to be the face of the league.
Speaker 3 (15:59):
Can we play That's what's going on.
Speaker 1 (16:01):
So he was SGA just had such like a measured,
mature response to how every game is a reset. He's like, listen,
we've won by fifty, and then we've lost big, we
lost at home, and then we won by forty. And
he was just very calm, cool and collected. I don't think.
(16:24):
Here's what I think, because there there's going We already
knew this was coming that in Oklahoma City, Indiana Pacers
NBA Finals was not going to capture the imagination of America.
So we knew the ratings would not be great and
people and I listen, Adam Silver went on Breakfast Ball
(16:47):
and he was like, if it was Steelers Packers, people
would be celebrating it. Steelers Packers are one hundred year
old brands. Yeah, it was you know what, I like
the league exactly right, And so that is not the
right comp The right comp is if it were the Colts. No,
(17:10):
just say it again, the Colts no, because the cults
even have a sure if I mean, I'll take that,
But Colts Panthers, or if it were Jags Saints, you know,
like it wouldn't it would feel Now it's the NFL
(17:33):
and the NFL doesn't rely on individual star power as
much as the NBA does obviously, so there would be
some of it, but it wouldn't feel as exciting. Now.
What some folks might say is, yeah, Kansas City might
as well be Oklahoma City in one hundred. That is true,
(17:54):
That is correct, which is why Oklahoma City can become
a huge draw, but it needs sustained long term success.
You know, people are just now recognizing who these guys
(18:17):
are and how good they are. The point Brew was
either intentionally or unintentionally making is the short The shortcut
to that is to be controversial or polarizing, and Shay
is not going to be that. Like the shortcut to
notoriety is to have, you know, have people on both
(18:43):
sides of the argument in a way. I'll give you
a different example. So Shae this year, by any objective measure,
Demonte had a better season than the last Oklahoma City
Thunder player to win League MVP, Russell Westbrook in twenty seventeen.
(19:07):
But that Thunder team and Russ individually was a wildly
interesting captivating figure for a lot of reasons. One was
just stylistically, and that's something that is going to somewhat
(19:28):
work against Shay. There is an element and a level
of are you dunking on people's heads that will grab
an audience in a way great footwork and mid range
jump shots and playing underneath the rim typically will not. Right.
So there's that piece of it. There was the morality
(19:49):
play piece of Durant left, he's there, now he's you know,
basically it felt like a one man show and it
kind of was, you know, there is that piece of it.
There was also this piece of it. A lot of
people who cover the league was like, he's not that good.
(20:09):
Triple double, shmippele double, don't care stat batter, empty calories,
and there are other people that were saying, no, he
does more for his team than any player in the league.
So it didn't matter that it was Oklahoma City. His
style was exciting. There was real emotion to his story
(20:32):
at that time, and there was a real argument about
how good he is or isn't. So it is in
a way it this is a weird one because lucas
(20:53):
with the Lakers now. But if Luca, let's just say
everything about Luca were the same, but he had been
traded instead of to the Lakers, he was he was
traded to Indiana. Let's just say that was the trade.
Instead of Luca for a d it was Luca for Halliburton,
(21:14):
all right. While Luca wouldn't have the high the aesthetically
pleasing style of play the way Russ did, people would
be invested because there is real debate about is he
a great player, a ballhog, or a legend? Like you
(21:38):
have opinions all across the spectrum, and man, this team,
his team gave up on him all like. There's all
those pieces to it, and so I don't I think
market size has something to do with it, but there's
just it's not just that it's Oklahoma City and Indiana.
(22:04):
The Indiana pieces, they were not taken seriously by anyone
as a contender all year, so they weren't like really
in the discussion. And the Oklahoma City piece of it
is they are not really a debatable team, which is
(22:26):
the only thing anybody could say about them all year
is like, Ah might be too young. Nobody was like
they're not that good, nobody was like Shay's overrated, nobody's
had any and we've never like hadn't seen them fail
and come back. So there's just a lot of pieces
to it and if folks can say that, well, if
(22:51):
you need something to debate in order to be interested,
then you don't love basketball, like you're not a die
hard basketball fan. But those people miss the point because
here's thing, demanse, whether or not the ratings are good
has absolutely nothing to do with the die hards. That
(23:14):
die hards are there for the finals, no matter what
a rating is generated by our people who typically are
not watching, watching, and like and for those people, you can't.
You can't sell a casual and by the way, sports
(23:36):
League shouldn't try to and there shouldn't be any like
shame about this. You the people that truly appreciate the
real artistry of the game, and you know how the
thunder were built and Haliburton's story, those people are all
(23:59):
ready the d if when you are trying to for
your premiere event, trying to draw in the everyone else,
those people, it's the same way any of us ever
(24:21):
have been drawn into something that we previously weren't interested in.
So like the people weren't go ahead, de mindset.
Speaker 2 (24:32):
I was never a big boxing guy, but the Jake
I never like would watch pay per view, But Jake
Paul Mke's eyes something came out and I was watching boxing.
Speaker 1 (24:39):
You gotta right, it's a spectacle. But no, there's the
people that knew nothing about Formula one racing and don't
and can't understand why this overtake was impressive, or why
this car is better than that car, or why that
pit crew is the best. Saw the one show got
(25:01):
to know the personalities. They're like, oh, I'm interested. And
by the way, that show on Netflix that Lebron and
Anthony Davis were in, I forget the name of it,
Starting five, the one that they're recording this year. Two
of the five are Shay and Haliburton. So maybe that's
(25:23):
good to bring in people for you know, future future
years or whatever it is. But that's just what it is.
And I don't think there's anything wrong with it, and
I don't think we have to. I don't love the
folks who are like patriotizing on NBA Twitter, like, well,
(25:43):
if you can't appreciate this basketball, then you don't love basketball.
It's like, no shit, the people who love basketball are
already watching. It's the people who, you know, they're debating
between you know, restarting the last season of Love is
Blind or flipping on the finals and though you're like,
(26:08):
those people know the storylines, you know, uh, and the
of Stafford Lebron or whomever, and they're not familiar with
these folks. Now you and again, now I'm kind of
like shadowboxing potential other arguments. People be like, well, it's
the media's job to inform people of these stories, sure,
(26:30):
but not all stories are as interesting from a story
perspective as others. And so like, there is there is
not a lot that is very interesting about the Thunder
the Pacers outside of the basketball, which is totally fine.
(26:55):
You're not always going to have that, but that is
going to make it difficult to bring in people who
are only passively interested in the basketball. And like, that's
just a reality of you know, I don't know if
it's marketing or how this stuff works. And so I
(27:17):
don't think that is.
Speaker 2 (27:19):
Just saying don't coming, don't come with the casuals because
it's okay.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
So yeah, I mean that's why they're casual fans, and
I think that's totally fine. And I think that you know,
interest ebbs and flows, and sometimes you need you know,
sometimes you don't know that this is going to be
(27:46):
an all time classic book. After the first chapter and
if the Thunder go on the type of run some
people not me as much, but some people think they
really could, then this will build and this will be
like Chapter one, and the people who were locked in
(28:08):
and dialed to these NBA Finals in four years, when
Shay and Chet and j Dubb are all household names,
people will be like I, you know, I remember watching
them nervously host to Game seven against Nikolai Jokic. That
(28:31):
could have derailed this whole thing for it even started.
You can be the hipster for the Thunder if they
ever go from playing coffee shops to play in arenas.
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Slash audio.
Speaker 1 (30:32):
By the way, erisiss in the chat says is this
actually live? Yeah, and you can ask questions in the chat.
I should have been saying that earlier, but yes, we
are actually love. Check out the boost Mobile pillow in
the background. We actually had that funny the last show
we did from here, even though the partnership with boost
(30:52):
Mobile was not yet like pinned to paper, donn or
finalized or I don't know, they don't inform you this
type of stude. I think it was done. Gause already
had the bill, but we weren't. It hadn't started yet,
and I put it up there just as like a
little extra bonus for our friends at boost Mobile for
showing faith in the pod. But then Dexter, my dog,
(31:13):
walked in and sat right on the couch and blocked
the pillow the whole time, So now I have to
close the door. He's laying right there, right outside the door.
I'm gonna have to figure that out because I do
like when he hangs out with me in here sometimes.
So maybe we need to get a second one in
case he knocks that one off. All right, Demanse, let's
talk a little more Halliburton and then get some other stuff.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
So, yeah, you touched on a little bit of Halliburton's
lackluster scoring ability. Rick Carlisle came in the conference and
backed him and said, you can't judge him off his
box score. He had five points and three quarters in
Game two. Do you think that everybody overreacted by crowding Halliburton?
Speaker 1 (31:55):
The yeah, he does. No, I don't think everyone overacted.
I here's what I think. It's undeniable that what he
has done in the clutch is unprecedented. He's thirteen of
fifteen on game go ahead or game time shots in
(32:20):
the final minute this year. He has hit four de
facto buzzer beaters this playoffs. And one of my favorite things,
I'm just gonna be honest with you guys, one of
my favorite things about and this is why is a
bit of a sidebar. I'll get back to Halliburton, but
(32:41):
for years I have said that the next generation is
going to look back on the goat debate and be like,
you gotta be kidding me. That was a debate, and
they're gonna look back on some of the arguments and say, no,
nobody actually said, you know, Lebron wasn't clutch. Nobody actually
(33:06):
did this stuff. And the reason that I have been
so confident in it was demonstrated, really, I think well
by what happened after Halliburton's last game winner, where all
over TV and all over social media are a bunch
(33:29):
of graphics and it's like, wow, Tyre's Halliburton now has
five five playoff game winners or game tires in the
final second in his career, and you know, here's his
percentage and this is unbelievable. And then you see it
(33:51):
and he's tied for second because Lebron has eight. And
then you see the other ones where it's like wow,
look at look at this guy's percentages and you see
it and then it's like, oh, wait, hold on, is
that Kobe at twenty two percent and Lebron at you
(34:12):
know whatever, it was fifty percent. I mean, Nate Tice
tweeted it, tweeted out, and I'm looking for it that
you know, all I can see. I'm looking at this
and all I can see is twenty two percent, which
was you know what, Kobe was four of twenty two
for his career. And I'm not trying to denegrate the
(34:34):
late great Kobe Bryant, but it was just about yeah,
here it is right here. So extra Stats had tweeted
most game tying or lead taking shots with under five
seconds left in the game in the playoffs since the
stat tracking era has started, and so since nineteen ninety seven.
(34:55):
And what you see is the you know guys with
four or more. It is Chris Middleton, Kobe Halliburton with five,
Reggie with five, and Lebron with eight. And then you
look through it and you're like, you know, Lebron eight
of twenty, Reggie five of nine, Halliburton and impossible five
(35:16):
of six, Middleton four for eight, and Kobe four for
eighteen twenty two. And so there is an element of
the numbers are the numbers, and the facts are the facts.
And we are going to because of Lebron's longevity and
(35:44):
the fact that in the playoffs he has every record
there is for the next at least twenty five years
of basketball. Every time every single time a guy hits
a milestone or a threshold, there is going to be
(36:07):
a reminder to the audience that this player just became
the second youngest or the second oldest, or has the
second most and first on all of those lists is
going to be Bron.
Speaker 3 (36:21):
Hey, how Burden might be first on that? On the
go ahead book, is he already got five? Took Lebron
like two years to get that.
Speaker 1 (36:29):
Yeah, I'm gonna I'm gonna go ahead and say he's
not gonna get.
Speaker 3 (36:32):
For in his whole career. He's already got five.
Speaker 1 (36:37):
Kobe played twenty years, he got five. I'm the and
and so again like just man twenty four. Let me
go ahead and guess the twenty four is for Kobe
rights in the chat Bro, Come on, that's a longevity stat.
Game winners and percentage is a longevity stat. Okay, But
again there is there's no reconciling the percentages. They're just there.
(37:03):
There just isn't. And the the the playoff game winners,
Kobe's shooting eighteen of them and making four and Bron
shooting twenty and making eight, you can call that a
longevity staff. But you're just that's just what kids would
(37:24):
call cope. It's it's just I mean, it's just what
it is.
Speaker 3 (37:28):
Go ahead, And Haliburn's percentage is higher right now.
Speaker 1 (37:31):
And no, well, Halliburn's percentage is the highest of any
exactly five on these Yeah, no listen, So to get
back to the Halliburn thing, because we're actually gonna talk
Lebron in a second. Anyway, he has been this clutch
run is one of the greatest, if not the greatest
(37:54):
single season clutch performance in playoff history. That's undeniable. It's
also that can be true, while it's also true that,
as I said earlier, for any NBA player, if they
(38:17):
cannot reliably go get you a bucket, it's there is
a ceiling on their consistent effectiveness offensively, that's all. And
so there is both things can be true that there
(38:43):
are ways to slow down Halliburton that that don't exist
to slow down most of the other superstars in this league.
But while also true he can impact the game differently
because of his passing, while also true that his clutch
stuff this postseason we've never seen before, Like you know
what I mean, that's all. That's all part of the
(39:06):
story with him this year I'm going to add one
other thing though, demons for the Pacers before we move on,
And this is maybe the adjustment Carlisle needs to make,
And it's more about approach. The Pacers all year, if
they're not out running, have been a good shot, good shot,
(39:29):
great shot.
Speaker 3 (39:29):
Team.
Speaker 1 (39:31):
Oh that's a good look. Extra pass that's a good look.
One extra pass, that's a great look. Halliburton needs to
recognize that shit doesn't exist against the Thunder. What exists
against the Thunder is okay, look, decent look, bad look, turnover.
(39:52):
Like you have to be willing, especially if you're the
best player on the team and you know the the
engine of the offense, to take some shots you otherwise
wouldn't because a B minus look might be the best
look you're getting that that time up the court, and
(40:13):
that takes some adjustment, you know what I mean, Like
the you are not going to ball movement them into
a bunch of wide open threes. They're too good. Yeah,
And so like that's that's something that you almost have
to retrain your yourself.
Speaker 2 (40:30):
There are just times in the game where it like
flips on the Pacers where Halliburton has to just be
like I'm getting a bucket right here, like the crowd's
going crazy.
Speaker 3 (40:38):
They just went up nineteen twenty one points. You gotta
go down and do something correct.
Speaker 1 (40:43):
All right, all right, let's speaking of Lebron. Let's talk
a little more Lebron.
Speaker 3 (40:47):
Go ahead.
Speaker 2 (40:48):
Uh yeah, Lebron might be the NBA's leading scorer, but uh,
what does that mean when you got no back?
Speaker 3 (40:55):
Uh?
Speaker 2 (40:56):
On mine the game? Lebron said, I see all the time,
I'll be on social media like Lebron has no bag.
Lebron has no bag, and I'm sitting here like I
got fifty billion points. I thought he should have said
I've got fifty billion chips, like wordplay on like a
bag of chips. But to Lebron be the undisputed goat
if he's got no bag.
Speaker 1 (41:16):
Okay, so let me go. Let me ask you this,
what do you think having a bag means? Because it's
this is not an agreed upon definition, and I think
this is an important piece to it. So I'm curious
where you what you think?
Speaker 2 (41:34):
Okay, I think having a bag is is James Harden
that's like like Steph Curry, just just a go to
move or or a bag of moves that you can
go to to break the defender down. I just think
it's offense. It's offensive game. I don't think it's like
anything outside of that.
Speaker 1 (41:51):
No, So it's and it's a it's definitely offense and
definitely related to scoring. Yeah, right, Like I think everybody
agrees on that. So here is what I think is
fair and true, and here is what I think is
just nonsense. Right, So I think, what do you think
the weakest part of Lebron's offensive game is? Because I
(42:16):
think it's very clear. I think there is one thing
that offensively he is average at. I would say it's
just league.
Speaker 3 (42:26):
Average stop go, stop start.
Speaker 1 (42:32):
Well, maybe we're saying the same thing just general ball handling.
Oh okay, he's not an elite He's not an elite
ball handler. And so if people if by bag they
mean like a Kyrie's style, like fifteen dribble move, then sure,
then yeah, Lebron's not going to be one of your
(42:53):
top thirty picks of people when it comes to ball
handling like the he I think Duran at seven feet
tall might be a better ball handler like I do.
And so like that is to me, that's a if
that's what people are talking about, that's actually accurate. Now,
(43:15):
to Lebron's point, is it possible that not just kids
on Twitter, but also retired NBA players on horrific podcasts
wildly overrate the bag. If to Lebron's point, he's got
fifty thousand points and doesn't have one, then yeah, then
(43:40):
maybe it's not quite as important as you think. So
if we're just saying bag is ball handling, then it's
probably It's probably true. Here is where I think it
gets a little though misconstrued or misleading. If by bag
(44:03):
people are talking about ability to score from anywhere on
the court at any time, Lebron's as good as anyone
in the history of the league being are. And this
is where and this is again where we will simply
run into folks who some I'm sure are in the
(44:26):
chat right now, who are going to try to douce
a lot of mental gymnastics around the numbers in the facts,
which is now Lebron early in his career, didn't you know,
was not a good jump shooter. But the benefit of
(44:49):
playing twenty two years is even if you weren't good
at something for the first seven there were fifteen years
you were good at it. So like even be like ah,
Lebron couldn't shoot. But by year nine he was literally
forty one percent from three. His third year in Miami,
(45:12):
I guess that would have been year ten, and then
you know that was year ten for him was still
the first half of his career. In Miami, he developed
his three point shot. His second stint in Cleveland, he
developed his mid range shot, particularly the turnaround, And since
(45:33):
then has been the idea that he's gotten his fifty
thousand points by putting his head down and just going
to the rim one hundred times a game. Again, that's
just blied by the data and by the date, I
mean the games are on TV. You can see where
the shots are made, all of it. That he has
the same shot. People talk about him as if he
(45:54):
has the same shot chart as Shack did. That it
was layup some free throw, dunk some free throw. But
this is where now we are, and this is why
and I you always have to be sensitive here because
of obviously the tragedy surrounding is passing, but the juxtaposition
(46:19):
of Kobe versus Lebron, as far as what the actual
truth is and was versus how they are remembered, has
always been very interesting because if you ask one hundred
NBA fans who was the better three point shooter, Kobe
(46:46):
or Lebron, the vast majority are going to say Kobe Bryant,
despite the fact that any possible way you slice it,
it's not true. And I will and that's you know,
that's bag for some, it's like your ability, like I said,
(47:07):
to score from all three levels. So Kobe for his
career was thirty two point nine percent from three. Lebron
for his career thirty four point nine percent from three. Oh, well, Nick,
Kobe shot way more, No, he didn't. Kobe for his
(47:29):
career four point one attempts per game, Lebron for his
career four point seven attempts per game. Well, Kobe was
better in the playoffs. No, Kobe for his career from three,
his three point percentage is thirty three point one percent
(47:51):
on four attempts per game. Lebron for his career in
the playoffs is thirty three percent on four point one
attempts per game. Well, oh wait, hold on, I had
I got that last one exactly wrong. I apologize because
I read Kobe's I read Kobe STAPs twice. Kobe for
(48:14):
his career in the playoffs thirty three point one percent
on four attempts per game four point zero, exactly Lebron
for his career in the playoffs thirty three point three percent,
essentially the same Lebron to took better, but on four
point nine a tempts per game. Oh well, Nick, and
this is one you'll hear when people are really at
(48:34):
this point grasping, Nick, the game's changed so much, even
though Lebron and Kobe played in the league together for
a more than a decade. Okay, so if you just
take Lebron's career and stop it when Kobe retired, Kobe
(48:56):
again for his career thirty three point one one percent
on four point zero attempts per game. Look, that's for
the playoffs and for the regular season Kobe thirty two
point nine on four point one attempts per game, basically
identical for Kobe regular season of playoffs. He retired in
twenty sixteen. Lebron his rookie year through the date of
(49:22):
Kobe's retirement the exact same number of three point attempts
per game four point zero, and Kobe's thirty two point
nine Lebron thirty four point zero. And so this isn't
a I'm not trying to do like a Kobe versus
Lebron thing, because I think that's a silly, really untenable argument,
(49:46):
as much as people try to make it one. The
reason I am mentioning that is because that is as
clear and as clean and as matter of fact as
data can get, and people simply will say, I do
not believe that. That's not how I remember it, which
(50:09):
is that and the people in the chat can get
as angry as they want, and they say that's longevity,
even though it's per game, that that's a different era,
even if we just go year per year. In their
mind's eye, Kobe was a dominant three point assassin, and
(50:32):
in their mind's eye, Lebron was just putting his shoulder
down and get into the rim, despite the fact that
at the date of Kobe's retirement, he averaged the exact
same number of three point attempts per game as Lebron
did and shot him worse. It's just what the facts were.
So when Lebron is talking about I'm get on social
(50:54):
media and say Lebron doesn't have a bag or this
or that, it's because so much of that is it's
not revisionist history. It's just absolute fake news so to speak,
that people will believe to their dying breath. Like one
(51:18):
of the number one questions people will ask is, okay,
so whatever you're gonna say Lebron's better than Kobe because
of you know, he played longer or whatever it is. However,
but one shot life on the line, and then you
tell him, well, playoff game winners like we just talked
(51:40):
before Lebron took was eight of twenty, Kobe was four
of eighteen. People will simply say, I don't believe you,
even though it is what it is. And so now
doctor Frank says in the chat, but would you say
Kobe had a deeper bag than Lebron? I think there's
an argument there, yes, a hunt because I Kobe was
(52:03):
a better mid range shot maker than Lebron, and I
think Kobe was a better ball handler than Lebron.
Speaker 2 (52:13):
That one I agree with there, Yeah, yeah, on the
back you Agreeeah.
Speaker 1 (52:18):
Yeah, there is. But the that then circles back to
the more I think interesting question is, but then what
does it really matter except for again to be fair,
because I am I gotta tell you, among other things,
I'm the most I'm the fairest arguer in sports media
(52:43):
because I will often make an argument, and while I'm
making it, because it's how my brain works, think like, oh,
does this contradict something you were making? Argument you're making
about something else, and how do you reconcile those two? So,
while how Deep your Bag is might be overrated when
(53:06):
it comes to your effectiveness as a player, as evidenced
by our discussion about why people were more maybe attracted
to Russell Westbrook's style of play than Shay Gilgess, Alexander's
how Deep your Bag is certainly has to do has
(53:27):
an impact on popularity, grabbing the casual fan highlights things
like that. That part there is a real impact, all right,
Before we get to a few other things, my friends
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(55:16):
Deman's let's get to the New York Knicks before we
get to some NFL stuff.
Speaker 2 (55:21):
Uh yeah, So, Whendhorses reported that there's mutual intrigue between
New York and Dallas head coach Jason Kidd. You mentioned
a few days ago, a couple of days ago, that
this might be an efforts to.
Speaker 3 (55:31):
Push for Giannis.
Speaker 1 (55:32):
Why would Dallas let this happen, Well, it's very interesting.
You could listen. Jason Kidd's history of forcing his way
out of situations or leaving tough situations in his wake
is somewhat legendary. Okay, so Tim bond Temps did a
(55:56):
good job describing describing this. But as a player, Jason
Kidd was with the MAVs that thing within a couple
within a couple of years for a lot of reasons
we don't really need to get into. On the show
got toxic and he goes to Phoenix. That then at
(56:17):
the end it ran its course. He goes to the
Nets and it's awesome. Early on, they make two straight finals.
He arguably should have won MVP early on in his
career with the Nets. That then goes sideways. He goes
back to Dallas, then finishes his career with the Knicks.
He then for one year as head coach of the
Brooklyn Nets. At the end of that year, he tries
(56:40):
to basically take over the team Uh, that doesn't work,
So he gets his way to Milwaukee. Then in Milwaukee
they end up souring on him, they fire him, and
now he's in Dallas. You know, he's with the Lakers briefly.
Now he's in Dallas, when even when he was with
the Lakers, there was like worry, like is he gonna
try to like unseat Vogel? But he goes to Dallas
(57:03):
and now he's in Dallas and it sure looks like
he would like to be the head coach of the Knicks.
And you can say, why would they let you, you know,
why would they allow it in Dallas? But the answer
(57:24):
to that is how messy does Jason Kidd want to
make this? Because you can't have a guy coach your
team that wants to coach another team. It's one of
those things like there are certain industries where a contract
(57:44):
really only as good as long as the person wants
to fulfill it. Like if if Demanse came in and
was like, hey, guys, I would like permission to interview
you to be on Rory and Mao and leave this show,
(58:10):
well then that kind of just means he doesn't want
to be on this show anymore. And even if I'm like, no,
you can't, it doesn't really mean like that. I think
it's going to be right exactly. And so this idea
that like the Knicks want permission to interview kid, that's
not an interview. If somebody has a job and they're
(58:33):
going to talk to someone about another job, it's not
like a real negotiation. It's like you have that job now.
So I think go ahead.
Speaker 2 (58:42):
Oh, I mean you're saying the question was, how is
Dallas going to allow this to happen. I think that
Jason Kidd wasn't involved when it was Luka Doncon's being
traded from the team. If he doesn't want to be
there and stay on that team and stay with the mess.
Speaker 3 (58:57):
That was left, then so be it.
Speaker 2 (58:59):
I think they should let the guy go if he
wants to go, no questions asked.
Speaker 1 (59:04):
I think that's probably how he would feel. And I
think that the fact that the Knicks the reporting is
the Knicks fired Thibodeau, and they seem to only want
coaches that are currently hired. It's like they're interested in
Email Odoka who has a job, Jason Kidd, who has
a job. And then the reporting this weekend was Chris
(59:25):
Finch who has a job, and so I I think
they're gonna get Kid. Now is that going to lead
to them getting the honest It certainly wouldn't hurt. Jiannis
really liked Kid and even if it's a longer term
(59:47):
play than just this this year, it seems like that's
the Knicks. That's the Knicks plan.
Speaker 2 (59:57):
Do you think that he's the best options of the
than the other coaches if they don't get you honest.
Speaker 1 (01:00:04):
Listen, I think he's done a really good job in Dallas.
I also think that you know, you have to be prepared.
You have to understand Jason Kidd is going to leave
you at some point. Like there is an element of like,
you know, if you get in a relationship with someone
(01:00:24):
who five of their previous six relationships have started with
someone new when they were already living with someone else,
you kind of know that eventually you're going to be
the someone else. But you're just like, you know what,
I'm up for the ride. Let's see how this goes.
(01:00:45):
So I think people you've got to go go into
that situation eyes wide open. But if it moves the
needle in your ability to get y honest, I think
that is uh. I think that is worth it. All right,
Let's do a little NFL and then tennis corner and
(01:01:07):
then some listener questions because we're gonna go a little
too long today.
Speaker 2 (01:01:10):
Otherwise, Aaron Rodgers officially a stealer. I think we found
out a little bit after Thursday's show. Pittsburgh Super Bowl
odds didn't change and their plus money to make the playoffs.
Looks like TJ. Watt also wants a new contract. How
much does them acquiring Aaron Rodgers move the needle for you?
Speaker 1 (01:01:28):
Not much at all. And listen, I think Pittsburgh made
a mistake in a lot of ways this offseason. And
I know Steeler fans probably are not going to want
to hear this, but I would have taken a totally
different tact. I would have actually gone the opposite to
(01:01:51):
de Mons, and I would have started fresh, so to speak.
I would not have traded for DK Metcalf, would have
traded away George Pickens. I would not give TJ. Watt
a new contract. I would I think you get a
first round pick and something for TJ. Watt. And I
(01:02:12):
probably would have said Mason Rudolph take the reins, buddy,
and I would have gone into next year with multiple
first round picks, multiple second round picks. My own bad
pick because I'm a team that doesn't have TJ. Watt
or George Pickens or DK Metcalf and Mason Rudolph is
(01:02:32):
my starting quarterback. And I would say, we're having a
one year reset and we're cleaning all our books up,
we're getting young, we're gonna crush the draft, and we're
gonna have a franchise quarterback. That's the tact I would
have taken. Instead, they traded for DK Metcalf. I think
(01:02:55):
they are going to give TJ. Watt a new contract,
and they signed Aaron Rodgers. You know, fingers crossed hope
against hope. We can go eleven and eight, and by
eleven and eight, I mean ten and seven, sneak into
the playoffs, win a playoff game, losing round two. That
(01:03:16):
is what the That's not what I think they're gonna do.
I think they're gonna go seven and ten. But but
the that's the goal. The goal is to break this
damn near decade long streak of not winning a playoff game.
And I just think this is a huge mistake and
(01:03:37):
and Aaron is gonna talk today, and I'm curious what
he says, but that that's what I that's where I
think this is going. All right, let's go to our
tennis corner, demons.
Speaker 3 (01:03:49):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (01:03:50):
Yes, the French Open wrapped up with Cocoa Golf winning
our first final at Ronald Garrow's gar.
Speaker 1 (01:04:00):
French Open site.
Speaker 2 (01:04:02):
The crazy comeback against Center. It's time for tennis corner.
Speaker 3 (01:04:06):
Let's go. I'm ready for your knowledge, all.
Speaker 1 (01:04:10):
Right, So listen Coco getting the French Open and beating Sablenka,
and listen. It was a little marred a bit by
I thought, you know, some less than gracious comments by Sabalanca,
But whatever that was, that was an awesome moment and
(01:04:32):
it was it in most tennis tournaments would have been
the moment of the tournament. But my guy, Carlos Alcarez
being down triple match points and fighting that off and
(01:04:56):
then going from there to winning the entire thing in
a five set, five and a half hour epic. It
is on the short list of five or six greatest
matches in modern tennis history. That is not an exaggeration.
(01:05:18):
And the fact that he now is sitting there at
twenty three years old and has five grand slams. The
only one he's missing is the Australian. He is a
back to back Wimbledon winner, a back to back French
(01:05:43):
Open winner, has won the US Open once and will
go into Wimbledon as the huge I would imagine huge
favor's probably wrong, but a significant and favorite. And that
in twenty twenty two, when he was twenty years old,
(01:06:08):
he beats Rude to win the US In twenty twenty three,
he beats Joker in the Wimbledon final. In twenty twenty four,
he beats Joker in the Wimbledon final. This last year
in the French Open final, he beats Zverev in another classic.
(01:06:32):
And then this year he beats Center in an all
all time match. Doing that where he is beaten everyone
that matters, four championships essentially, and he is at twenty three,
(01:06:55):
the not not just the face but then next guy
up as just an all time legend in the field
at that age is really remarkable. And I said, I've
been saying he's twenty three? Am I wrong? Is he
(01:07:17):
twenty two? And I and I just have that wrong.
I this whole week, I thought he was doing all
this at twenty three, But I but this is what
I'm currently looking at, says that he just turned it.
Could I thought he just turned twenty three? This is
saying he just turned twenty two. The Internet's not as
(01:07:38):
reliable as it once was. Regardless, is an all time match.
And I do have to say I am so thrilled
for my friend Adam Lefgo, who got that tabbed by
TNT to be the host of their French open cover
(01:08:00):
for these last two weeks and just absolutely crushed it.
And I just cannot help but think back to the
two thousand and six was it two thousand? What was
the Adrian Peterson Draft? I have to look was Adrian
(01:08:22):
Peterson two thousand? That was he two thousand and seven? Yeah? Okay.
April twenty eighth, two thousand and seven, on Z eighty
nine at Syracuse University, there was a six hour live
(01:08:44):
NFL draft show on the radio, and the hosts of
that show were me, Danny Parkins, Adam Lefgo. It was
the first time I'm the three of us. Danny and
left Goo were tight. Lefto and I didn't know each
(01:09:04):
other as well because he did a lot of TV
stuff and was a year younger than me, but we
did that radio show together and Danny now after being
a longtime radio star in Chicago host breakfast Ball, I'm
me and left go is just you know, outside of
(01:09:28):
the inside the NBA, you know main crew, the guy
at Turner Sports. It's just so cool. And I'm so
happy that he that everybody loved his coverage and everything
he did, so that that really thrilled me. All right.
(01:09:49):
Reminder everyone like rate subscribe review. That really does help
us out. The producers want a world series of poker recap. Guys,
the body's not even cold yet. I'm not ready to
talk about it. We can, however, do some listener questions.
Speaker 3 (01:10:06):
Go ahead, uh, Mary says, let the dog in.
Speaker 1 (01:10:10):
Let's see if you're sitting right out here, hold on,
Probably there is come on, decks, all right, he's just chilling.
He's like, I don't need to come in. Maybe he
will come here, decks getting up, He'll probably just hop
on that couch. All right, Go ahead.
Speaker 2 (01:10:24):
Very playoffs starts next week. Demonsay, I think we play
your team in the first round. Very nice meeting, by
the way, nice meaning her Eric. I did see him
last last Tuesday. Last month Tuesday was.
Speaker 1 (01:10:36):
How's the basketball going?
Speaker 3 (01:10:38):
Basketball is going good. We lost that game.
Speaker 2 (01:10:41):
I was there, Uh it was I think we lost
by like seven, but we honestly, we never have more
than a single sub is the problem.
Speaker 1 (01:10:51):
Now we're sorry. This is why I couldn't let the
dog in. I gotta close the door. Now the hold
on that. Okay, but the playoffs haven't started yet, so
your team's still alive.
Speaker 2 (01:11:06):
Yeah, I honestly thought today was playoffs and the game's
kind of late.
Speaker 1 (01:11:10):
Honestly, listen, Eric might be trying to sandbag you, so
like the the I mean, if I if I were you,
i'd make sure.
Speaker 3 (01:11:20):
Says, does demons have a bag?
Speaker 2 (01:11:24):
You know, my left hand was never the best.
Speaker 3 (01:11:29):
I got a bigger bag than Lebron. Though.
Speaker 2 (01:11:32):
If I dribbled like Lebron in high school, my cult
would have maybe just dribbled with my left hand the
entire time.
Speaker 3 (01:11:36):
Do layups left hand?
Speaker 2 (01:11:39):
Well, everybody else did the right hand, left hand, right side.
He made me do that, but uh, well, yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:11:45):
I've got a bag.
Speaker 2 (01:11:48):
Go ahead, matt Ford. Did you see mission impossible yet?
But then he's starting to be I did not?
Speaker 1 (01:11:57):
Oh oh you yeah, he's asking me not yet. I'm
gonna see it. This week though I was busy.
Speaker 3 (01:12:03):
Let's see it this week, Trace says Nick.
Speaker 1 (01:12:06):
I'm not answering any World Series of Poker. Oh yeah,
I'm not ready to do that yet.
Speaker 2 (01:12:11):
Dub says, since twenty twenty one, Trevor Lawrence leads the
NFL and turnovers, what more will it take for you
to finally concede that you were wrong about him?
Speaker 1 (01:12:20):
Let's see how this year goes. W Let's just see
how this year goes. Let's see how this year goes.
This is a big year for trev So let's just
see how it goes.
Speaker 3 (01:12:29):
This is.
Speaker 1 (01:12:31):
Yeah, this is the year. And that's where listen, that's
where we'll leave it. I gotta run. Great job, Demond's
a great job, Blue Duck, DraftKings, Boost Mobile volume everybody.
By the way, the listener question segment that's still sponsorship available,
Our opening thirty minute, you know opening segment that's always
(01:12:54):
supposed to go eight minutes and goes thirty that's spot
we have some spots open. Boost Mobile has smartly claimed
the opening of every show now known as Straight to Voicemail.
But we still have some valuable real estate still available
out there. That's a reminder for anyone listening and for
the wonderful volume sales team like rate subscribeer to you,
(01:13:16):
check us out on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts,
and I'll see you guys soon. We'll trade
Welcome in episode three thirty eight, What's Right with Nick Right,
and check this out fresh from a trip to Vegas.
This couldn't have come any The timing couldn't have been better,
because while the show is more than solvent, I don't
know that I am anymore. So, you know what, we
need sponsors, and we got a brand new one. This
(00:28):
episode of What's Right is resented to you by boost
Mobile and Demonte. We have been for three years doing
What Missed the Cut off the top of the show
as a way to kind of get in some quick
hit or stuff that doesn't really deserve a full segment.
But also, I'll be honest, it's always it's been kind
(00:50):
of sponsorship bait, like that's a great segment right off
the top that someone should gobble up. How about this
no longer What Missed the Cut now known as straight
the voicemail. Guess that these people Boost Mobile, Trevor Lawrence,
the producers are such jerks. They want me to say this.
(01:12):
Trevor Lawrence stuns in new photo. I mean, listen, the
guy does look quite regal. I mean, let's be honest here,
that guy looks outstanding. Wimby embraces monk culture at the
Shaolin Temple that's actually really cool, and shaved head Wimby
is a little more intimidating. And Adam Sandler offers Derrick
(01:33):
Henry a movie role if he hits two thousand yards. Now.
This was broker by my friend Dan Patrick, which means
I am going to try to play a similar card.
I'm gonna see if there is some threshold, some something
that I can that Dan doesn't think I can do that.
(01:57):
Dan will then leverage into Okay, if you do that,
I'll get you in one of the Sandler's movies. I
think that's possible, so uh, it'd be great. Years ago,
we tried to get demands on the HBO show Showtime
as Young Byron Scott. We were not yet able to leverage.
(02:18):
We weren't able to leverage the show for that. Maybe
I can leverage my relationship with Dan Patrick for something else.
But I am back in New York. I am in
a I go through this once every few years when
I prepare and I plot and I study, and I
get all ready for a big poker trip and then
(02:41):
I have my absolute guts ripped out by I can't
even say bad luck, just poor play, over zealousness, being
too excited. Where I am now in something of a
poker detox, where I just like the I'm not gonna
I gotta take a few days away from even watching
the World series. My buddies are out there still final
(03:02):
tabling stuff. I can't even like really sweat them and
root them on. It's like the feeling one gets right
after in college drinking way too much of a certain liquor,
where like the next time you go out and you
get just a whiff of it, you feel that hungover feeling. Again.
Imagine that, except imagine if instead of having a terrible headache,
(03:25):
you know, you lost the equivalent of a I don't know,
a mid size semi luxury sedan. All right, deman s
like rate, subscribe, review, everybody check out the show on
all available platforms, and again, if for no other reason,
then you know, in some ways subscriptions funnel down eventually
(03:47):
into money in my pocket, and right now I need it.
Where are we starting, pal?
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Yeah, So, after the crazy comeback by the Pacers in
game one, Haliburton hit that crazy shot you know, okase
he came back in game two and was shown in
their showing their stripes. They look dominant. Ye, based on
what you've seen so far. How comfortable were you with
your bet that you placed at the beginning? Okay see
minus one and a half?
Speaker 1 (04:10):
Well, I mean here what I will say about that
bet to put a little pin in Vegas for now?
That bet was a luxury bet when I placed it.
It's a necessity bet now I just can't you can't
have you can't have bet of the year go awry
(04:33):
right after a five day poker bludgeting. Obviously, the bet
didn't look great after Indiana steels game one because then
for the thunder Haft to win in four, five or six,
for that bet to win and after you lose game one,
four is literally eliminated and five is potentially eliminated. However,
(04:59):
we now have had ninety six minutes of this series.
The Indiana Pacers have led for two of those minutes.
I do not think there is a single player on
the Pacers demonte who can say I like how I'm playing.
I don't think there is a single matchup in this
(05:21):
series right now that Rick Carlisle can look at and
be like bang, that's where we take advantage. So even
though it's one one I feel just as confident as
I did before the series that this is a real mismatch.
(05:43):
And again, it is no shame in it for the Pacers.
And if you disagree, we can discuss it in a second.
But it it's no shame in the Pacers that they
have finally found an opponent that is truly out of
their weight classes. This Oklahoma City team is eighty one
(06:04):
and nineteen on the year. No one has been able
to deal with Shay all year long, and Nie Smith
and Nimhard are not gonna be any different in that regard.
And you don't look at anything Oklahoma City has done
thus far and say, oh, well that's not sustainable. Oh well,
(06:27):
that guy's not gonna keep playing like that. If anything,
you look at how Jalen Williams is playing. I think
he's eleven of thirty three for the series. Uh, fact
check me on that, guys, if you would. Jalen Williams
total shooting splits in the series. But I think he's
eleven of thirty three and I think Chet has only
made one to three the entire series. If anything, you
(06:48):
look at that and you say, well, those guys should
get a little bit better, and will Shay average thirty
four a game in this series. Maybe not thirty four,
but will he average thirty Well, he has all year,
and so I just think that there is there's not
(07:13):
a lot of adjustments Indiana can make aside from try
to get hot from three and that might be worth
a game, but that I do not think is going
to be worth multiple games, and they need it to
be worth three games. And so we didn't end up
(07:36):
making the series exacta bets, which is, you know, game
one this way, Game two that way, so on and
so forth. And I'm glad we didn't because I obviously
would have gotten game one wrong. But in that I
thought we would head to Game three with the Thunder
(07:56):
up to nothing, and then they let their foot off
the gas a bit and the Pacers steal Game three,
and then the Thunder retake control in game four because
the Thunder already lost a game. I now feel like
there will be no foot off the gas in game three,
and the Thunder will be in position to retake home
(08:19):
court advantage in game three, which is what I fully
expect them to do. So before we get to Morche
and Haliburton stuff, Demonse, you I saw your kind of
you know, yeah reaction. When I was saying that, I
thought there was just there was no spot where the
Pacers had an edge or you know, nobody's playing that well,
(08:42):
so go ahead.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
Yeah, No, they are out match.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
I was just saying, like, with the first game, I
feel like they played a pretty poor game. They obviously
I think they had over twenty turnovers and they still
may have to get the win. So I was just saying,
with those stats, I feel like they should be able
to do something. But you say that there's just no
mismatches that Indiana can exploit. I understand that there is
not a single guy on there that you can just say,
go get a bucket or no. Yeah, they are outmatched,
(09:08):
but got And here's the.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
Other piece of it. They win the turnovers. Thing isn't fluky.
This is what OKAC does to people. Yeah, and they
particularly this is one of the reasons. And I thought
this was a mistake. It was mistake, might be too strong,
but I was shocked that OKC changed their starting lineup
(09:33):
before Game one, that when they had been this dominant
team all year, that they took Hartenstein out of the
starting lineup. But they did that to add another perimeter defender,
so they could just harass the pacers out on the
you know, on the perimeter, and they they caused nineteen
(09:55):
first half turnovers in Game one. Now what was fluky
about that was despite causing all those turnovers, they weren't
getting fast break points. They weren't getting as many points
off turnovers. But it's still dead possessions and there Listen.
It is incredibly difficult too. I know this is going
(10:21):
to sound almost sacrilegious to how basketball is supposed to
be played, but it is incredibly difficult. And history will
back me up on this. To win a championship, if
your best player is a true pass first point guard
(10:46):
that is not a natural scorer, if you don't either
have to go along with that person the best defense
in the league or a go to dominant big that
he can get a lot of his you know, assists to.
So when you look at the most traditional kind of
(11:09):
pass first elite point guards in NBA history and you
go and that Listen, I'm not putting Halliburton on the
historical list, but he obviously is a pass first point guard.
Chris Paul ran into this where it's like, Okay, I
I am I'm the best player on the team. Yes,
(11:31):
I can score, but this is not really where my
bread is buttered, so to speak. And then as competition
gets harder and harder, and the other teams more and
more talented, eventually I'm going to play a team that
is going to have enough talent of their own on
(11:53):
the perimeter, particularly defensively or inside defensively to slow down
the guys. I'm trying to spoon feed these buckets too.
And he never made He didn't make a finals until
he was alongside a dominant scorer and booker, and they
didn't even they you know, when they made the finals,
(12:15):
didn't win. Steve Nash he could score like Haliburton can score,
but he's a career like eighteen point a game guy.
He's a pass first wizard who never had those dominant
defenses and had a hard ceiling. Some bad luck, some injuries,
some bad suspensions. I get it, though. Of the NBA Finals,
(12:36):
Chauncey did it, and Chauncey's not the caliber of those
two previous players, but that was the best defense in basketball.
Isaiah Thomas did it. But that was the best defense
in basketball, and Isaiah had real, real high end scoring
ability that he kind of tempered on his own. I mean,
(12:58):
John Stockton had Carl Malone as the go to score.
He's a pass first guy, and those teams were championship caliber.
They just ran into the bulls. But you had stockedon,
you had Malone to go alongside alongside him, and people
will be like, well, Magic did it, and you can't
even be like, well he had Kareem because older man
(13:20):
like it the for the last couple championships that was
not the same cream. But Magic's one of the five
greatest players in the history of the league, and as
great as great as Coozy was, Like they didn't win.
It's a little unfair to Cooozy, but they didn't win
(13:41):
until they got Russell and they had the best defensive
player in the history of the sport. It's just so
hard to win four rounds if your best player can't
reliably just go get you a bucket. And it's one
of the reasons why I have always been a defender
(14:04):
of Luca, even though people don't like the heliocentric style,
because guys like like Luca and Lebron, they are at
their core past first players, but they are also dominant scorers.
And so I know I'm kind of stepping a bit
(14:27):
on the Haliburton conversation, but we'll still get to it
because there's something specific about how he's playing. But it's
just it is. If you don't have if you are,
let me rephrase it, let me kind of turn it
(14:49):
a bit. The Pacers are an offensive minded team. There
is no precedent for a team that is their identity
is their offense to be able to win four straight rounds.
If they don't have anyone on that offense that you
(15:13):
are not at all surprised. In fact, you kind of
expect them to go for thirty. And so it's a
very thin needle that's trying to be threaded here, which
is the thunder of the better defense, we have the
better offense. The thunder, by the way, also have far
and away the best offensive player in the series. It's
(15:35):
a tough spot and that's where I think the that's
the hard ceiling the Pacers have run into. I know,
you want to talk a little Lesga before we get
to the other stuff.
Speaker 2 (15:53):
Oh yeah, Bruce said, SGA is a little too mature
to be the face of the league.
Speaker 3 (15:59):
Can we play That's what's going on.
Speaker 1 (16:01):
So he was SGA just had such like a measured,
mature response to how every game is a reset. He's like, listen,
we've won by fifty, and then we've lost big, we
lost at home, and then we won by forty. And
he was just very calm, cool and collected. I don't think.
(16:24):
Here's what I think, because there there's going We already
knew this was coming that in Oklahoma City, Indiana Pacers
NBA Finals was not going to capture the imagination of America.
So we knew the ratings would not be great and
people and I listen, Adam Silver went on Breakfast Ball
(16:47):
and he was like, if it was Steelers Packers, people
would be celebrating it. Steelers Packers are one hundred year
old brands. Yeah, it was you know what, I like
the league exactly right, And so that is not the
right comp The right comp is if it were the Colts. No,
(17:10):
just say it again, the Colts no, because the cults
even have a sure if I mean, I'll take that,
But Colts Panthers, or if it were Jags Saints, you know,
like it wouldn't it would feel Now it's the NFL
(17:33):
and the NFL doesn't rely on individual star power as
much as the NBA does obviously, so there would be
some of it, but it wouldn't feel as exciting. Now.
What some folks might say is, yeah, Kansas City might
as well be Oklahoma City in one hundred. That is true,
(17:54):
That is correct, which is why Oklahoma City can become
a huge draw, but it needs sustained long term success.
You know, people are just now recognizing who these guys
(18:17):
are and how good they are. The point Brew was
either intentionally or unintentionally making is the short The shortcut
to that is to be controversial or polarizing, and Shay
is not going to be that. Like the shortcut to
notoriety is to have, you know, have people on both
(18:43):
sides of the argument in a way. I'll give you
a different example. So Shae this year, by any objective measure,
Demonte had a better season than the last Oklahoma City
Thunder player to win League MVP, Russell Westbrook in twenty seventeen.
(19:07):
But that Thunder team and Russ individually was a wildly
interesting captivating figure for a lot of reasons. One was
just stylistically, and that's something that is going to somewhat
(19:28):
work against Shay. There is an element and a level
of are you dunking on people's heads that will grab
an audience in a way great footwork and mid range
jump shots and playing underneath the rim typically will not. Right.
So there's that piece of it. There was the morality
(19:49):
play piece of Durant left, he's there, now he's you know,
basically it felt like a one man show and it
kind of was, you know, there is that piece of it.
There was also this piece of it. A lot of
people who cover the league was like, he's not that good.
(20:09):
Triple double, shmippele double, don't care stat batter, empty calories,
and there are other people that were saying, no, he
does more for his team than any player in the league.
So it didn't matter that it was Oklahoma City. His
style was exciting. There was real emotion to his story
(20:32):
at that time, and there was a real argument about
how good he is or isn't. So it is in
a way it this is a weird one because lucas
(20:53):
with the Lakers now. But if Luca, let's just say
everything about Luca were the same, but he had been
traded instead of to the Lakers, he was he was
traded to Indiana. Let's just say that was the trade.
Instead of Luca for a d it was Luca for Halliburton,
(21:14):
all right. While Luca wouldn't have the high the aesthetically
pleasing style of play the way Russ did, people would
be invested because there is real debate about is he
a great player, a ballhog, or a legend? Like you
(21:38):
have opinions all across the spectrum, and man, this team,
his team gave up on him all like. There's all
those pieces to it, and so I don't I think
market size has something to do with it, but there's
just it's not just that it's Oklahoma City and Indiana.
(22:04):
The Indiana pieces, they were not taken seriously by anyone
as a contender all year, so they weren't like really
in the discussion. And the Oklahoma City piece of it
is they are not really a debatable team, which is
(22:26):
the only thing anybody could say about them all year
is like, Ah might be too young. Nobody was like
they're not that good, nobody was like Shay's overrated, nobody's
had any and we've never like hadn't seen them fail
and come back. So there's just a lot of pieces
to it and if folks can say that, well, if
(22:51):
you need something to debate in order to be interested,
then you don't love basketball, like you're not a die
hard basketball fan. But those people miss the point because
here's thing, demanse, whether or not the ratings are good
has absolutely nothing to do with the die hards. That
(23:14):
die hards are there for the finals, no matter what
a rating is generated by our people who typically are
not watching, watching, and like and for those people, you can't.
You can't sell a casual and by the way, sports
(23:36):
League shouldn't try to and there shouldn't be any like
shame about this. You the people that truly appreciate the
real artistry of the game, and you know how the
thunder were built and Haliburton's story, those people are all
(23:59):
ready the d if when you are trying to for
your premiere event, trying to draw in the everyone else,
those people, it's the same way any of us ever
(24:21):
have been drawn into something that we previously weren't interested in.
So like the people weren't go ahead, de mindset.
Speaker 2 (24:32):
I was never a big boxing guy, but the Jake
I never like would watch pay per view, But Jake
Paul Mke's eyes something came out and I was watching boxing.
Speaker 1 (24:39):
You gotta right, it's a spectacle. But no, there's the
people that knew nothing about Formula one racing and don't
and can't understand why this overtake was impressive, or why
this car is better than that car, or why that
pit crew is the best. Saw the one show got
(25:01):
to know the personalities. They're like, oh, I'm interested. And
by the way, that show on Netflix that Lebron and
Anthony Davis were in, I forget the name of it,
Starting five, the one that they're recording this year. Two
of the five are Shay and Haliburton. So maybe that's
(25:23):
good to bring in people for you know, future future
years or whatever it is. But that's just what it is.
And I don't think there's anything wrong with it, and
I don't think we have to. I don't love the
folks who are like patriotizing on NBA Twitter, like, well,
(25:43):
if you can't appreciate this basketball, then you don't love basketball.
It's like, no shit, the people who love basketball are
already watching. It's the people who, you know, they're debating
between you know, restarting the last season of Love is
Blind or flipping on the finals and though you're like,
(26:08):
those people know the storylines, you know, uh, and the
of Stafford Lebron or whomever, and they're not familiar with
these folks. Now you and again, now I'm kind of
like shadowboxing potential other arguments. People be like, well, it's
the media's job to inform people of these stories, sure,
(26:30):
but not all stories are as interesting from a story
perspective as others. And so like, there is there is
not a lot that is very interesting about the Thunder
the Pacers outside of the basketball, which is totally fine.
(26:55):
You're not always going to have that, but that is
going to make it difficult to bring in people who
are only passively interested in the basketball. And like, that's
just a reality of you know, I don't know if
it's marketing or how this stuff works. And so I
(27:17):
don't think that is.
Speaker 2 (27:19):
Just saying don't coming, don't come with the casuals because
it's okay.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
So yeah, I mean that's why they're casual fans, and
I think that's totally fine. And I think that you know,
interest ebbs and flows, and sometimes you need you know,
sometimes you don't know that this is going to be
(27:46):
an all time classic book. After the first chapter and
if the Thunder go on the type of run some
people not me as much, but some people think they
really could, then this will build and this will be
like Chapter one, and the people who were locked in
(28:08):
and dialed to these NBA Finals in four years, when
Shay and Chet and j Dubb are all household names,
people will be like I, you know, I remember watching
them nervously host to Game seven against Nikolai Jokic. That
(28:31):
could have derailed this whole thing for it even started.
You can be the hipster for the Thunder if they
ever go from playing coffee shops to play in arenas.
But that's that's just how this works. NBA Finals are
here and this is your last chance to bet on
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(28:52):
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Slash audio.
Speaker 1 (30:32):
By the way, erisiss in the chat says is this
actually live? Yeah, and you can ask questions in the chat.
I should have been saying that earlier, but yes, we
are actually love. Check out the boost Mobile pillow in
the background. We actually had that funny the last show
we did from here, even though the partnership with boost
(30:52):
Mobile was not yet like pinned to paper, donn or
finalized or I don't know, they don't inform you this
type of stude. I think it was done. Gause already
had the bill, but we weren't. It hadn't started yet,
and I put it up there just as like a
little extra bonus for our friends at boost Mobile for
showing faith in the pod. But then Dexter, my dog,
(31:13):
walked in and sat right on the couch and blocked
the pillow the whole time, So now I have to
close the door. He's laying right there, right outside the door.
I'm gonna have to figure that out because I do
like when he hangs out with me in here sometimes.
So maybe we need to get a second one in
case he knocks that one off. All right, Demanse, let's
talk a little more Halliburton and then get some other stuff.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
So, yeah, you touched on a little bit of Halliburton's
lackluster scoring ability. Rick Carlisle came in the conference and
backed him and said, you can't judge him off his
box score. He had five points and three quarters in
Game two. Do you think that everybody overreacted by crowding Halliburton?
Speaker 1 (31:55):
The yeah, he does. No, I don't think everyone overacted.
I here's what I think. It's undeniable that what he
has done in the clutch is unprecedented. He's thirteen of
fifteen on game go ahead or game time shots in
(32:20):
the final minute this year. He has hit four de
facto buzzer beaters this playoffs. And one of my favorite things,
I'm just gonna be honest with you guys, one of
my favorite things about and this is why is a
bit of a sidebar. I'll get back to Halliburton, but
(32:41):
for years I have said that the next generation is
going to look back on the goat debate and be like,
you gotta be kidding me. That was a debate, and
they're gonna look back on some of the arguments and say, no,
nobody actually said, you know, Lebron wasn't clutch. Nobody actually
(33:06):
did this stuff. And the reason that I have been
so confident in it was demonstrated, really, I think well
by what happened after Halliburton's last game winner, where all
over TV and all over social media are a bunch
(33:29):
of graphics and it's like, wow, Tyre's Halliburton now has
five five playoff game winners or game tires in the
final second in his career, and you know, here's his
percentage and this is unbelievable. And then you see it
(33:51):
and he's tied for second because Lebron has eight. And
then you see the other ones where it's like wow,
look at look at this guy's percentages and you see
it and then it's like, oh, wait, hold on, is
that Kobe at twenty two percent and Lebron at you
(34:12):
know whatever, it was fifty percent. I mean, Nate Tice
tweeted it, tweeted out, and I'm looking for it that
you know, all I can see. I'm looking at this
and all I can see is twenty two percent, which
was you know what, Kobe was four of twenty two
for his career. And I'm not trying to denegrate the
(34:34):
late great Kobe Bryant, but it was just about yeah,
here it is right here. So extra Stats had tweeted
most game tying or lead taking shots with under five
seconds left in the game in the playoffs since the
stat tracking era has started, and so since nineteen ninety seven.
(34:55):
And what you see is the you know guys with
four or more. It is Chris Middleton, Kobe Halliburton with five,
Reggie with five, and Lebron with eight. And then you
look through it and you're like, you know, Lebron eight
of twenty, Reggie five of nine, Halliburton and impossible five
(35:16):
of six, Middleton four for eight, and Kobe four for
eighteen twenty two. And so there is an element of
the numbers are the numbers, and the facts are the facts.
And we are going to because of Lebron's longevity and
(35:44):
the fact that in the playoffs he has every record
there is for the next at least twenty five years
of basketball. Every time every single time a guy hits
a milestone or a threshold, there is going to be
(36:07):
a reminder to the audience that this player just became
the second youngest or the second oldest, or has the
second most and first on all of those lists is
going to be Bron.
Speaker 3 (36:21):
Hey, how Burden might be first on that? On the
go ahead book, is he already got five? Took Lebron
like two years to get that.
Speaker 1 (36:29):
Yeah, I'm gonna I'm gonna go ahead and say he's
not gonna get.
Speaker 3 (36:32):
For in his whole career. He's already got five.
Speaker 1 (36:37):
Kobe played twenty years, he got five. I'm the and
and so again like just man twenty four. Let me
go ahead and guess the twenty four is for Kobe
rights in the chat Bro, Come on, that's a longevity stat.
Game winners and percentage is a longevity stat. Okay, But
again there is there's no reconciling the percentages. They're just there.
(37:03):
There just isn't. And the the the playoff game winners,
Kobe's shooting eighteen of them and making four and Bron
shooting twenty and making eight, you can call that a
longevity staff. But you're just that's just what kids would
(37:24):
call cope. It's it's just I mean, it's just what
it is.
Speaker 3 (37:28):
Go ahead, And Haliburn's percentage is higher right now.
Speaker 1 (37:31):
And no, well, Halliburn's percentage is the highest of any
exactly five on these Yeah, no listen, So to get
back to the Halliburn thing, because we're actually gonna talk
Lebron in a second. Anyway, he has been this clutch
run is one of the greatest, if not the greatest
(37:54):
single season clutch performance in playoff history. That's undeniable. It's
also that can be true, while it's also true that,
as I said earlier, for any NBA player, if they
(38:17):
cannot reliably go get you a bucket, it's there is
a ceiling on their consistent effectiveness offensively, that's all. And
so there is both things can be true that there
(38:43):
are ways to slow down Halliburton that that don't exist
to slow down most of the other superstars in this league.
But while also true he can impact the game differently
because of his passing, while also true that his clutch
stuff this postseason we've never seen before, Like you know
what I mean, that's all. That's all part of the
(39:06):
story with him this year I'm going to add one
other thing though, demons for the Pacers before we move on,
And this is maybe the adjustment Carlisle needs to make,
And it's more about approach. The Pacers all year, if
they're not out running, have been a good shot, good shot,
(39:29):
great shot.
Speaker 3 (39:29):
Team.
Speaker 1 (39:31):
Oh that's a good look. Extra pass that's a good look.
One extra pass, that's a great look. Halliburton needs to
recognize that shit doesn't exist against the Thunder. What exists
against the Thunder is okay, look, decent look, bad look, turnover.
(39:52):
Like you have to be willing, especially if you're the
best player on the team and you know the the
engine of the offense, to take some shots you otherwise
wouldn't because a B minus look might be the best
look you're getting that that time up the court, and
(40:13):
that takes some adjustment, you know what I mean, Like
the you are not going to ball movement them into
a bunch of wide open threes. They're too good. Yeah,
And so like that's that's something that you almost have
to retrain your yourself.
Speaker 2 (40:30):
There are just times in the game where it like
flips on the Pacers where Halliburton has to just be
like I'm getting a bucket right here, like the crowd's
going crazy.
Speaker 3 (40:38):
They just went up nineteen twenty one points. You gotta
go down and do something correct.
Speaker 1 (40:43):
All right, all right, let's speaking of Lebron. Let's talk
a little more Lebron.
Speaker 3 (40:47):
Go ahead.
Speaker 2 (40:48):
Uh yeah, Lebron might be the NBA's leading scorer, but uh,
what does that mean when you got no back?
Speaker 3 (40:55):
Uh?
Speaker 2 (40:56):
On mine the game? Lebron said, I see all the time,
I'll be on social media like Lebron has no bag.
Lebron has no bag, and I'm sitting here like I
got fifty billion points. I thought he should have said
I've got fifty billion chips, like wordplay on like a
bag of chips. But to Lebron be the undisputed goat
if he's got no bag.
Speaker 1 (41:16):
Okay, so let me go. Let me ask you this,
what do you think having a bag means? Because it's
this is not an agreed upon definition, and I think
this is an important piece to it. So I'm curious
where you what you think?
Speaker 2 (41:34):
Okay, I think having a bag is is James Harden
that's like like Steph Curry, just just a go to
move or or a bag of moves that you can
go to to break the defender down. I just think
it's offense. It's offensive game. I don't think it's like
anything outside of that.
Speaker 1 (41:51):
No, So it's and it's a it's definitely offense and
definitely related to scoring. Yeah, right, Like I think everybody
agrees on that. So here is what I think is
fair and true, and here is what I think is
just nonsense. Right, So I think, what do you think
the weakest part of Lebron's offensive game is? Because I
(42:16):
think it's very clear. I think there is one thing
that offensively he is average at. I would say it's
just league.
Speaker 3 (42:26):
Average stop go, stop start.
Speaker 1 (42:32):
Well, maybe we're saying the same thing just general ball handling.
Oh okay, he's not an elite He's not an elite
ball handler. And so if people if by bag they
mean like a Kyrie's style, like fifteen dribble move, then sure,
then yeah, Lebron's not going to be one of your
(42:53):
top thirty picks of people when it comes to ball
handling like the he I think Duran at seven feet
tall might be a better ball handler like I do.
And so like that is to me, that's a if
that's what people are talking about, that's actually accurate. Now,
(43:15):
to Lebron's point, is it possible that not just kids
on Twitter, but also retired NBA players on horrific podcasts
wildly overrate the bag. If to Lebron's point, he's got
fifty thousand points and doesn't have one, then yeah, then
(43:40):
maybe it's not quite as important as you think. So
if we're just saying bag is ball handling, then it's
probably It's probably true. Here is where I think it
gets a little though misconstrued or misleading. If by bag
(44:03):
people are talking about ability to score from anywhere on
the court at any time, Lebron's as good as anyone
in the history of the league being are. And this
is where and this is again where we will simply
run into folks who some I'm sure are in the
(44:26):
chat right now, who are going to try to douce
a lot of mental gymnastics around the numbers in the facts,
which is now Lebron early in his career, didn't you know,
was not a good jump shooter. But the benefit of
(44:49):
playing twenty two years is even if you weren't good
at something for the first seven there were fifteen years
you were good at it. So like even be like ah,
Lebron couldn't shoot. But by year nine he was literally
forty one percent from three. His third year in Miami,
(45:12):
I guess that would have been year ten, and then
you know that was year ten for him was still
the first half of his career. In Miami, he developed
his three point shot. His second stint in Cleveland, he
developed his mid range shot, particularly the turnaround, And since
(45:33):
then has been the idea that he's gotten his fifty
thousand points by putting his head down and just going
to the rim one hundred times a game. Again, that's
just blied by the data and by the date, I
mean the games are on TV. You can see where
the shots are made, all of it. That he has
the same shot. People talk about him as if he
(45:54):
has the same shot chart as Shack did. That it
was layup some free throw, dunk some free throw. But
this is where now we are, and this is why
and I you always have to be sensitive here because
of obviously the tragedy surrounding is passing, but the juxtaposition
(46:19):
of Kobe versus Lebron, as far as what the actual
truth is and was versus how they are remembered, has
always been very interesting because if you ask one hundred
NBA fans who was the better three point shooter, Kobe
(46:46):
or Lebron, the vast majority are going to say Kobe Bryant,
despite the fact that any possible way you slice it,
it's not true. And I will and that's you know,
that's bag for some, it's like your ability, like I said,
(47:07):
to score from all three levels. So Kobe for his
career was thirty two point nine percent from three. Lebron
for his career thirty four point nine percent from three. Oh, well, Nick,
Kobe shot way more, No, he didn't. Kobe for his
(47:29):
career four point one attempts per game, Lebron for his
career four point seven attempts per game. Well, Kobe was
better in the playoffs. No, Kobe for his career from three,
his three point percentage is thirty three point one percent
(47:51):
on four attempts per game. Lebron for his career in
the playoffs is thirty three percent on four point one
attempts per game. Well, oh wait, hold on, I had
I got that last one exactly wrong. I apologize because
I read Kobe's I read Kobe STAPs twice. Kobe for
(48:14):
his career in the playoffs thirty three point one percent
on four attempts per game four point zero, exactly Lebron
for his career in the playoffs thirty three point three percent,
essentially the same Lebron to took better, but on four
point nine a tempts per game. Oh well, Nick, and
this is one you'll hear when people are really at
(48:34):
this point grasping, Nick, the game's changed so much, even
though Lebron and Kobe played in the league together for
a more than a decade. Okay, so if you just
take Lebron's career and stop it when Kobe retired, Kobe
(48:56):
again for his career thirty three point one one percent
on four point zero attempts per game. Look, that's for
the playoffs and for the regular season Kobe thirty two
point nine on four point one attempts per game, basically
identical for Kobe regular season of playoffs. He retired in
twenty sixteen. Lebron his rookie year through the date of
(49:22):
Kobe's retirement the exact same number of three point attempts
per game four point zero, and Kobe's thirty two point
nine Lebron thirty four point zero. And so this isn't
a I'm not trying to do like a Kobe versus
Lebron thing, because I think that's a silly, really untenable argument,
(49:46):
as much as people try to make it one. The
reason I am mentioning that is because that is as
clear and as clean and as matter of fact as
data can get, and people simply will say, I do
not believe that. That's not how I remember it, which
(50:09):
is that and the people in the chat can get
as angry as they want, and they say that's longevity,
even though it's per game, that that's a different era,
even if we just go year per year. In their
mind's eye, Kobe was a dominant three point assassin, and
(50:32):
in their mind's eye, Lebron was just putting his shoulder
down and get into the rim, despite the fact that
at the date of Kobe's retirement, he averaged the exact
same number of three point attempts per game as Lebron
did and shot him worse. It's just what the facts were.
So when Lebron is talking about I'm get on social
(50:54):
media and say Lebron doesn't have a bag or this
or that, it's because so much of that is it's
not revisionist history. It's just absolute fake news so to speak,
that people will believe to their dying breath. Like one
(51:18):
of the number one questions people will ask is, okay,
so whatever you're gonna say Lebron's better than Kobe because
of you know, he played longer or whatever it is. However,
but one shot life on the line, and then you
tell him, well, playoff game winners like we just talked
(51:40):
before Lebron took was eight of twenty, Kobe was four
of eighteen. People will simply say, I don't believe you,
even though it is what it is. And so now
doctor Frank says in the chat, but would you say
Kobe had a deeper bag than Lebron? I think there's
an argument there, yes, a hunt because I Kobe was
(52:03):
a better mid range shot maker than Lebron, and I
think Kobe was a better ball handler than Lebron.
Speaker 2 (52:13):
That one I agree with there, Yeah, yeah, on the
back you Agreeeah.
Speaker 1 (52:18):
Yeah, there is. But the that then circles back to
the more I think interesting question is, but then what
does it really matter except for again to be fair,
because I am I gotta tell you, among other things,
I'm the most I'm the fairest arguer in sports media
(52:43):
because I will often make an argument, and while I'm
making it, because it's how my brain works, think like, oh,
does this contradict something you were making? Argument you're making
about something else, and how do you reconcile those two? So,
while how Deep your Bag is might be overrated when
(53:06):
it comes to your effectiveness as a player, as evidenced
by our discussion about why people were more maybe attracted
to Russell Westbrook's style of play than Shay Gilgess, Alexander's
how Deep your Bag is certainly has to do has
(53:27):
an impact on popularity, grabbing the casual fan highlights things
like that. That part there is a real impact, all right,
Before we get to a few other things, my friends
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(55:16):
Deman's let's get to the New York Knicks before we
get to some NFL stuff.
Speaker 2 (55:21):
Uh yeah, So, Whendhorses reported that there's mutual intrigue between
New York and Dallas head coach Jason Kidd. You mentioned
a few days ago, a couple of days ago, that
this might be an efforts to.
Speaker 3 (55:31):
Push for Giannis.
Speaker 1 (55:32):
Why would Dallas let this happen, Well, it's very interesting.
You could listen. Jason Kidd's history of forcing his way
out of situations or leaving tough situations in his wake
is somewhat legendary. Okay, so Tim bond Temps did a
(55:56):
good job describing describing this. But as a player, Jason
Kidd was with the MAVs that thing within a couple
within a couple of years for a lot of reasons
we don't really need to get into. On the show
got toxic and he goes to Phoenix. That then at
(56:17):
the end it ran its course. He goes to the
Nets and it's awesome. Early on, they make two straight finals.
He arguably should have won MVP early on in his
career with the Nets. That then goes sideways. He goes
back to Dallas, then finishes his career with the Knicks.
He then for one year as head coach of the
Brooklyn Nets. At the end of that year, he tries
(56:40):
to basically take over the team Uh, that doesn't work,
So he gets his way to Milwaukee. Then in Milwaukee
they end up souring on him, they fire him, and
now he's in Dallas. You know, he's with the Lakers briefly.
Now he's in Dallas, when even when he was with
the Lakers, there was like worry, like is he gonna
try to like unseat Vogel? But he goes to Dallas
(57:03):
and now he's in Dallas and it sure looks like
he would like to be the head coach of the Knicks.
And you can say, why would they let you, you know,
why would they allow it in Dallas? But the answer
(57:24):
to that is how messy does Jason Kidd want to
make this? Because you can't have a guy coach your
team that wants to coach another team. It's one of
those things like there are certain industries where a contract
(57:44):
really only as good as long as the person wants
to fulfill it. Like if if Demanse came in and
was like, hey, guys, I would like permission to interview
you to be on Rory and Mao and leave this show,
(58:10):
well then that kind of just means he doesn't want
to be on this show anymore. And even if I'm like, no,
you can't, it doesn't really mean like that. I think
it's going to be right exactly. And so this idea
that like the Knicks want permission to interview kid, that's
not an interview. If somebody has a job and they're
(58:33):
going to talk to someone about another job, it's not
like a real negotiation. It's like you have that job now.
So I think go ahead.
Speaker 2 (58:42):
Oh, I mean you're saying the question was, how is
Dallas going to allow this to happen. I think that
Jason Kidd wasn't involved when it was Luka Doncon's being
traded from the team. If he doesn't want to be
there and stay on that team and stay with the mess.
Speaker 3 (58:57):
That was left, then so be it.
Speaker 2 (58:59):
I think they should let the guy go if he
wants to go, no questions asked.
Speaker 1 (59:04):
I think that's probably how he would feel. And I
think that the fact that the Knicks the reporting is
the Knicks fired Thibodeau, and they seem to only want
coaches that are currently hired. It's like they're interested in
Email Odoka who has a job, Jason Kidd, who has
a job. And then the reporting this weekend was Chris
(59:25):
Finch who has a job, and so I I think
they're gonna get Kid. Now is that going to lead
to them getting the honest It certainly wouldn't hurt. Jiannis
really liked Kid and even if it's a longer term
(59:47):
play than just this this year, it seems like that's
the Knicks. That's the Knicks plan.
Speaker 2 (59:57):
Do you think that he's the best options of the
than the other coaches if they don't get you honest.
Speaker 1 (01:00:04):
Listen, I think he's done a really good job in Dallas.
I also think that you know, you have to be prepared.
You have to understand Jason Kidd is going to leave
you at some point. Like there is an element of like,
you know, if you get in a relationship with someone
(01:00:24):
who five of their previous six relationships have started with
someone new when they were already living with someone else,
you kind of know that eventually you're going to be
the someone else. But you're just like, you know what,
I'm up for the ride. Let's see how this goes.
(01:00:45):
So I think people you've got to go go into
that situation eyes wide open. But if it moves the
needle in your ability to get y honest, I think
that is uh. I think that is worth it. All right,
Let's do a little NFL and then tennis corner and
(01:01:07):
then some listener questions because we're gonna go a little
too long today.
Speaker 2 (01:01:10):
Otherwise, Aaron Rodgers officially a stealer. I think we found
out a little bit after Thursday's show. Pittsburgh Super Bowl
odds didn't change and their plus money to make the playoffs.
Looks like TJ. Watt also wants a new contract. How
much does them acquiring Aaron Rodgers move the needle for you?
Speaker 1 (01:01:28):
Not much at all. And listen, I think Pittsburgh made
a mistake in a lot of ways this offseason. And
I know Steeler fans probably are not going to want
to hear this, but I would have taken a totally
different tact. I would have actually gone the opposite to
(01:01:51):
de Mons, and I would have started fresh, so to speak.
I would not have traded for DK Metcalf, would have
traded away George Pickens. I would not give TJ. Watt
a new contract. I would I think you get a
first round pick and something for TJ. Watt. And I
(01:02:12):
probably would have said Mason Rudolph take the reins, buddy,
and I would have gone into next year with multiple
first round picks, multiple second round picks. My own bad
pick because I'm a team that doesn't have TJ. Watt
or George Pickens or DK Metcalf and Mason Rudolph is
(01:02:32):
my starting quarterback. And I would say, we're having a
one year reset and we're cleaning all our books up,
we're getting young, we're gonna crush the draft, and we're
gonna have a franchise quarterback. That's the tact I would
have taken. Instead, they traded for DK Metcalf. I think
(01:02:55):
they are going to give TJ. Watt a new contract,
and they signed Aaron Rodgers. You know, fingers crossed hope
against hope. We can go eleven and eight, and by
eleven and eight, I mean ten and seven, sneak into
the playoffs, win a playoff game, losing round two. That
(01:03:16):
is what the That's not what I think they're gonna do.
I think they're gonna go seven and ten. But but
the that's the goal. The goal is to break this
damn near decade long streak of not winning a playoff game.
And I just think this is a huge mistake and
(01:03:37):
and Aaron is gonna talk today, and I'm curious what
he says, but that that's what I that's where I
think this is going. All right, let's go to our
tennis corner, demons.
Speaker 3 (01:03:49):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (01:03:50):
Yes, the French Open wrapped up with Cocoa Golf winning
our first final at Ronald Garrow's gar.
Speaker 1 (01:04:00):
French Open site.
Speaker 2 (01:04:02):
The crazy comeback against Center. It's time for tennis corner.
Speaker 3 (01:04:06):
Let's go. I'm ready for your knowledge, all.
Speaker 1 (01:04:10):
Right, So listen Coco getting the French Open and beating Sablenka,
and listen. It was a little marred a bit by
I thought, you know, some less than gracious comments by Sabalanca,
But whatever that was, that was an awesome moment and
(01:04:32):
it was it in most tennis tournaments would have been
the moment of the tournament. But my guy, Carlos Alcarez
being down triple match points and fighting that off and
(01:04:56):
then going from there to winning the entire thing in
a five set, five and a half hour epic. It
is on the short list of five or six greatest
matches in modern tennis history. That is not an exaggeration.
(01:05:18):
And the fact that he now is sitting there at
twenty three years old and has five grand slams. The
only one he's missing is the Australian. He is a
back to back Wimbledon winner, a back to back French
(01:05:43):
Open winner, has won the US Open once and will
go into Wimbledon as the huge I would imagine huge
favor's probably wrong, but a significant and favorite. And that
in twenty twenty two, when he was twenty years old,
(01:06:08):
he beats Rude to win the US In twenty twenty three,
he beats Joker in the Wimbledon final. In twenty twenty four,
he beats Joker in the Wimbledon final. This last year
in the French Open final, he beats Zverev in another classic.
(01:06:32):
And then this year he beats Center in an all
all time match. Doing that where he is beaten everyone
that matters, four championships essentially, and he is at twenty three,
(01:06:55):
the not not just the face but then next guy
up as just an all time legend in the field
at that age is really remarkable. And I said, I've
been saying he's twenty three? Am I wrong? Is he
(01:07:17):
twenty two? And I and I just have that wrong.
I this whole week, I thought he was doing all
this at twenty three, But I but this is what
I'm currently looking at, says that he just turned it.
Could I thought he just turned twenty three? This is
saying he just turned twenty two. The Internet's not as
(01:07:38):
reliable as it once was. Regardless, is an all time match.
And I do have to say I am so thrilled
for my friend Adam Lefgo, who got that tabbed by
TNT to be the host of their French open cover
(01:08:00):
for these last two weeks and just absolutely crushed it.
And I just cannot help but think back to the
two thousand and six was it two thousand? What was
the Adrian Peterson Draft? I have to look was Adrian
(01:08:22):
Peterson two thousand? That was he two thousand and seven? Yeah? Okay.
April twenty eighth, two thousand and seven, on Z eighty
nine at Syracuse University, there was a six hour live
(01:08:44):
NFL draft show on the radio, and the hosts of
that show were me, Danny Parkins, Adam Lefgo. It was
the first time I'm the three of us. Danny and
left Goo were tight. Lefto and I didn't know each
(01:09:04):
other as well because he did a lot of TV
stuff and was a year younger than me, but we
did that radio show together and Danny now after being
a longtime radio star in Chicago host breakfast Ball, I'm
me and left go is just you know, outside of
(01:09:28):
the inside the NBA, you know main crew, the guy
at Turner Sports. It's just so cool. And I'm so
happy that he that everybody loved his coverage and everything
he did, so that that really thrilled me. All right.
(01:09:49):
Reminder everyone like rate subscribe review. That really does help
us out. The producers want a world series of poker recap. Guys,
the body's not even cold yet. I'm not ready to
talk about it. We can, however, do some listener questions.
Speaker 3 (01:10:06):
Go ahead, uh, Mary says, let the dog in.
Speaker 1 (01:10:10):
Let's see if you're sitting right out here, hold on,
Probably there is come on, decks, all right, he's just chilling.
He's like, I don't need to come in. Maybe he
will come here, decks getting up, He'll probably just hop
on that couch. All right, Go ahead.
Speaker 2 (01:10:24):
Very playoffs starts next week. Demonsay, I think we play
your team in the first round. Very nice meeting, by
the way, nice meaning her Eric. I did see him
last last Tuesday. Last month Tuesday was.
Speaker 1 (01:10:36):
How's the basketball going?
Speaker 3 (01:10:38):
Basketball is going good. We lost that game.
Speaker 2 (01:10:41):
I was there, Uh it was I think we lost
by like seven, but we honestly, we never have more
than a single sub is the problem.
Speaker 1 (01:10:51):
Now we're sorry. This is why I couldn't let the
dog in. I gotta close the door. Now the hold
on that. Okay, but the playoffs haven't started yet, so
your team's still alive.
Speaker 2 (01:11:06):
Yeah, I honestly thought today was playoffs and the game's
kind of late.
Speaker 1 (01:11:10):
Honestly, listen, Eric might be trying to sandbag you, so
like the the I mean, if I if I were you,
i'd make sure.
Speaker 3 (01:11:20):
Says, does demons have a bag?
Speaker 2 (01:11:24):
You know, my left hand was never the best.
Speaker 3 (01:11:29):
I got a bigger bag than Lebron. Though.
Speaker 2 (01:11:32):
If I dribbled like Lebron in high school, my cult
would have maybe just dribbled with my left hand the
entire time.
Speaker 3 (01:11:36):
Do layups left hand?
Speaker 2 (01:11:39):
Well, everybody else did the right hand, left hand, right side.
He made me do that, but uh, well, yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:11:45):
I've got a bag.
Speaker 2 (01:11:48):
Go ahead, matt Ford. Did you see mission impossible yet?
But then he's starting to be I did not?
Speaker 1 (01:11:57):
Oh oh you yeah, he's asking me not yet. I'm
gonna see it. This week though I was busy.
Speaker 3 (01:12:03):
Let's see it this week, Trace says Nick.
Speaker 1 (01:12:06):
I'm not answering any World Series of Poker. Oh yeah,
I'm not ready to do that yet.
Speaker 2 (01:12:11):
Dub says, since twenty twenty one, Trevor Lawrence leads the
NFL and turnovers, what more will it take for you
to finally concede that you were wrong about him?
Speaker 1 (01:12:20):
Let's see how this year goes. W Let's just see
how this year goes. Let's see how this year goes.
This is a big year for trev So let's just
see how it goes.
Speaker 3 (01:12:29):
This is.
Speaker 1 (01:12:31):
Yeah, this is the year. And that's where listen, that's
where we'll leave it. I gotta run. Great job, Demond's
a great job, Blue Duck, DraftKings, Boost Mobile volume everybody.
By the way, the listener question segment that's still sponsorship available,
Our opening thirty minute, you know opening segment that's always
(01:12:54):
supposed to go eight minutes and goes thirty that's spot
we have some spots open. Boost Mobile has smartly claimed
the opening of every show now known as Straight to Voicemail.
But we still have some valuable real estate still available
out there. That's a reminder for anyone listening and for
the wonderful volume sales team like rate subscribeer to you,
(01:13:16):
check us out on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts,
and I'll see you guys soon. We'll trade
Host
Nick Wright
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